Coupler operating mechanism



Feb. 26, 1963 w. J. METZGER 3,079,010 COUPLER OPERATING MECHANISM Filed June 9. 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTbR. Mu. MM 4/ M57265? 1953 w. J. METZGER 3,07

COUPLER OPERATING MECHANISM Filed June 9, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F'7.i0 F1 .11

INVENTOR. MAL/AM d/l/nzaig fective to support the .ing the unlocking 3,079,010 COUPLER OPERATING MECHANISM William J. Metzger, East Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to National Castings Company, a corporation of Ohio Filed June 9, 1958, Ser. No. 740,877 4- Claims. or. 213-167) This actuation of the rotor shaft member results in operation of the unlocking mechanism of the coupler, causing the pulled-out coupler to become unlocked so that it will invariably separate from the coupler to which it is mated and drop to the track bed.

In some present railway coupler designs, support means are provided for the purpose of supporting a mated coupler against dropping onto the track in the event one of the couplers is accidentally pulled out from the end of its car. For this purpose, the coupler is sometimes constructed with an auxiliary support shelf disposed on the underside of the coupler head or an interlocking wing and pocket structure, or both. However, it has been found that unless the coupler knuckles remain in locked position, neither the shelf means nor the interlocking wing means'on the coupler retained in position is generally efpulled-out coupler whose knuckle has been unlocked. It is important, then, that the knuckles of the mated couplers remain locked if the sup port means are to function effectively. In other Words, the rotor shaft member must be prevented from operatmechanism of the coupler during coupler pull-outs.

Unintentional operation of this type occurs because of eccentric forces applied to the rotor shaft by the operating rod causing the rotor shaft to rotate and unlock the coupler. In present constructions, the rotor shaft member has an eye portion that receives the J-shaped or hooked end of the operating rod. The eye portion includes a Wall Which is raised or spaced vertically upward relative to the axis of rotation of the rotor member, which makes it possible for the rotor member to respond to the undesirable eccentric forces resulting inthe aforementioned unintentional operation.

In applicants co-pending application, Serial No. 659,- 610, filed May 16, 1957, now Patent No. 3,021,964, there is shown and disclosed an improved rotor shaft member which will prevent operation of the unlocking mechanism of the coupler in the event of accidental coupler pull-out. In this application, the rotor shaft member comprises a hooded head portion which includes support means for the hooked end of the operating rod and an opening or passageway through which the hooked end of the operating rod will pass and separate itself from the rotor shaft member during coupler pull-out, thereby precluding unintentional operation. The results obtained with couplers having rotor shaft members of this type in actual service have been generally highly satisfactory. Some disadvantages, however, have been discovered. In situations where the operating rod has been bent or otherwise deformed, proper alignment of the hooked end thereof within the hooded head portion of the rotor shaft member is difficult to maintain and a hindrance to proper separation of the rod from the member may occur. The rotor shaft member of this co-pending application has also been found to be impractical for use on couplers having operating rods connected to and operable from both sides of the car. This is due to the fact that in coupler pull-outs the shank of the pulled-out coupler swings slightly in the direction of the operating rod. Double operation necessarily interferes with such swinging of the coupler.

It is quite possible, also, with rotor shaft members of the aforementioned application, to be subjected to deformations which may go unnoticed. The rotor shaft member of applicants co-pending application, or any similar member which provides an opening through which the end of the operating rod is adapted to pass on coupler pull-out, is particularly liable to deformations occurring inthe area of the opening, due to the fact that the end of the operating rod may not have been exactly in central alignment with the opening when it passed therethrough while separating. These deformations are usually not detectable by workmen on casual inspection. The de formed shafts may, therefore, be returned to service, creating a possible dangerous operating condition.

The present invention provides a novel rotor shaft member for a car coupler which is extremely effective under normal operations but which embodies novel means for resisting eccentric forces and for facile separation of the existing operating rod from its usual connection with the rotor shaft to thereby preclude actuation of the unlocking mechanism of the coupler in the event of an accidental coupler pull-out. 3

Accordingly, the primary object of the invention is to provide novel means for preventing operation of the unlocking mechanism of a car coupler in the event of an accidental pull-out of the coupler.

Another object of the invention is to provide a .car coupler having a rotor shaft member embodying means that will permit the uncoupling rod of the coupler to separate therefrom in such a manner as not to actuate the unlocking mechanism of the couplerin the event of a coupler pull-out.

A further object of this invention is to provide a rotor shaft member of the above mentioned type which will remain operable regardless of deformations. existing in, or occurring in, the operating rod to which it is associated.

It is also an objectof this invention-to provide a rotor shaft member of the above-mentioned type capable of use with couplers equipped for double operation.

A still further object involves a safety provision inthe rotor shaft member of this invention whereby the member is intentionally and visibly damaged as a resultof a pull-out to thereby eliminate any possibility of returning the member to service. 7

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a rotor shaft member for a car coupler comprising an eye portion having one defining wallthereof disposed substantially equal or normal to the axis of rotation ofthe member to preclude response to eccentric forces and another'defining wall thereof reduced in metal thickness or "parts when the coupler has'been pulled out from the end of itsassociated car such a distance as will cause the hooked end of the operating rod to force against and break through "the weakened wall of the eye-portion of the rotor shaft member to thereby detach itself from the rotor member andjprevent operation of the uncoupling mechanism.

FIG. '3 is an enlarged fragmentary-top plan view showing'the relationship'between "the rotor shaft member and the operating rod in'the reposed position.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG..3 but showing the relationship between the parts when the operating shaft is actuated for normal operation.

FIG. 5 is a view, also similar to FIG. 3, but showing the operating rod in positionfor separation from the rotor shaft member.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4and shows the position of the parts immediately following separation thereof.

'FIG.'7- is a top planview of the novelrotor shaft. member of this invention.

F1618 is a side view thereof. "FIG. 9 is anend view thereof. FIG. 10 is a partial plan view taken substantially along the. lines 10-10 of-FIG. 7.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken substantially along the lines 11-11 of FIG. 7.

Referring to the drawings, the coupler operating mechanism is shown-applied to a car coupler 2 (indicated by dotdash lines) and the end of a car body 4. The coupler is mounted on the car by means of the usual support 'structure 6 (:also shown in dot-dash lines) and in the embodi- --.ment shown is an A.A'.R. alternate standard type F interlocking coupler. it will be understood, of course, that while the invention has been shown embodied in a particular type of coupler, it may beused with any coupler that utilizes-an operating or uncoupling rod which, at one end,

is connected to the unlocking'mechanism of the coupler and .on the otherend is attached to the car structure.

-.In the'embodiment shown, the operating rod 5 is a conventional A.A.R. standard operating rod for the aforementioned type F coupler and near its outer end is supported in the U-shaped tbearing portion 7 of the usual bracket 10 secured to car body structure 4. U-shaped portion 7 permits transverse movement of the rod with respect to the-car in response to'horizontal angling movement of w the'eoupler'l. The outeriend of the rod terminates in depending handle portion 12 for actuation thereof. The

- :J'-shaped inner end 1410f the operating rod is connected to earotor member 16 which is mounted on the underside of Ethetcoupler head for rotation about a horizontal axis, as is well-known to-those skilled in the art. Rotor 16 is opera- .tively connected tothe usual unlocking member (not shown)'-to lift the lock of the coupler'out of locking position relative to the knuckle of the coupler upon rotation of i ro d 5 by means of-handle12.

Rotor shaft member 16 comprises shank portion 18, and

in accordance with the invention, an eye portion to zwhichthe J'-hook 14 of the uncoupling rod is connected.

Shank portion 18 comprises the usual cylindrical bearing 1 "sections18a and 18b which are adapted to be received in the complementary bearing portion on the underside of the coupler head. Located between bearing portions 18a and lsb is'the key-portion 19 which is adapted to berecontact with hook 14- thereon during pull-out. other hand, rear wall 24 of the present invention, being ceived in a slot in the conventional rotor lever (not shown) of the coupler unlocking mechanism to operatively connect the rotor shaft 16 to the rotor lever. In the embodiment shown, the unlocking mechanism comprises the aforementioned rotor lever and the usual toggle or lifter link (not shown) which is connected to the lock of the coupler. Upon actuation of the operating rod 5, the rotor shaft 16 is caused to rotate, thereby operating the unlocking mechanism to cause the lock to move to unlocking position and permit opening of the coupler knuckle.

Eye-portion 20 of rotor member 16 comprises front wall 22, rear wall 24, outer and inner end walls 26 and 28, respectively, and a connecting wall section 30. The aforesaid walls, together with shank 18, form the eyeopening 32 adapted to accommodate -J-hook .14 of "the operating rod in connected relationship. The walls and opening 32 areso arranged that hook 14 substantially encircles wall 26 and assures a positive connection between the rotor shaft member 16 and the rod 5 when in assembled condition on the railway car.

An abutment lug 34 is formed integral with and depends from front wall 22. Upon actuation of rod 5 by pulling upwardly on handle 12, hook 14 is adapted to engage the inner sides of rear wall 24 and lug 34 to cause rotation of the rotor shaft in a counterclockwise direction, as viewedin FIG. 4, and thereby operate the unlocking mechanism of the coupler; It'will be understood that a clearance exists between the hook 14 and the inner surface of lug 34, as shown at 36 in FIG. 3, in order to avoid undesirable contact during lateral angling of the coupler in normal service.

As" best illustrated in FI'G. 8, thetop surface 24a; of

rear wall 24 is disposed or offset vertically downward relative to the top surface of shank portion 18. 'As previously indicated, the rear wall of the eye-portion of conventional rotor shafts is disposed substantially above the top surface of the rotor shaft shank. As is known, during a coupler pull-out, hook 14 will pivot in the direction of the rear wall of the rotor shaft. Since the rear wall of the conventional rotor shaft is'disposed above the top surface of the shank and, hence, above the axis of rotation of the rotor shaft member, the member is responsive to the eccentric forces exerted and is easily actuated by On the disposed with its surface 24a below thetop' surface of shank portion 18, will not, by mere contact with hook .14,

actuate rotor shaft 16, since the disposition of the Wall 'is, ineifect, equal to or below the'axis of rotation of the rotor shaft. Rotor shaft 16, therefore, cannot be'actuated by the eccentric forces exerted during coupler pullout. This constitutes an important feature of this invention, as will hereinafter become more evident.

Wall section 3t; extends between rear wall 24 and outer 'end wall 26. The drawings clearly indicatethat wall section 30'is of substantially lesser metal thickness than the other walls defining eye-portion 20. FIG. 10 clearly shows that wall section 30.is of lesser thickness in a vertical direction and is also of lesser thickness ina transverse direction, as seen in FIGS. 7 and I1. Inefi'ect, then, eye-portion 20 is defined'by a section of reduced "thickness so as to intentionally form therein a weakened portion adapted to be fractured out or broken through by book 14 during'a coupler pull-out. To this end, wall section 30 is of a length slightly in excess of the diameter of the rod S'to permit hook 14 to break cleanly therethrough' (FIG. 6).

In assembly the uncoupling rod to the rotor shaft, book .14 is inserted through eye-opening 32 and is disposed to :partially encircleouter wall 26. The outer end'of rod 5 .is' then placed in position in the U-shaped portion 7 of :support bracket ltl'and the usual cotter pin is inserted -.through portion 7 to maintain the rod in connected relationship tothe railway car.

' Thefunctioning of the novel rotor shaft toprevent operation of the unlocking mechanism in caseof accidental coupler pull-out is as follows:

Assume that coupler 2 in FIG. 2 has been pulled out 2) as long as both couplers remain in locked condition. As the coupler 2 ispulled away from the end of its car the rod 5 is pulled by the coupler through U-shaped portion 7 of support bracket 10 until handle portion 12 of the rod engages portion 7. At this point, it will be apparent that no further sliding movement of the rod with respect to the bracket can occur upon further outward movement of the coupler. In existing constructions of rotor shaft members, such as that now in use in the type F coupler, an eccentric force would be exerted on the rotor shaft member by the uncoupling rod as the coupler 2 approached the above-described point. Such a force causes rotation of the rotor shaft member of the F coupler in a direction to eifect unlocking of the coupler knuckle. However, with a rotor shaft embodying the present invention, no eccentric force is applied to the rotor shaft during movement of the coupler to the described position and therefore no actuation of the shaft occurs and the coupler knuckle will remain locked.

As the coupler is pulled beyond this position, the rod 5 temporarily acts as a tie between the bracket 10 and the coupler and causes the latter to pivot relative to the rod in a counterclockwise direction, the operating rod simultaneously pivoting at its handle 12 about portion 7 of the bracket, as shown in FIG. 2. Also, during movement of the coupler to the FIG. 2 position, the hook 14 of the rod pivots away from normal reposed position on outer end wall 26 to overlie and bear against the weakened wall section 30. Continued movement of the pulled-out coupler will cause the hook 14 to fracture or break through the wall section 30 to effect separation of the rotor shaft and the operating rod. The pulled-out coupler is then supported and carried by the opposing mated coupler. This facile separation of the rod and shaft precludes operation of the unlocking mechanism of the coupler and thus prevents the pulled-out coupler 2 from dropping to the track bed.

It is apparent from FIG. 6 that wall section 30 will fracture out and hook 14 will break therethrough without interference and will not only prevent unlocking of the pulled-out coupler, but also will prevent any damage to bracket 10 and the operating rod 5. In existing rotor shaft constructions there is no provision for automatic disconnection of the uncoupling rod therefrom during a coupler pull-out and, consequently, distortion and breakage of the support bracket and rod will occur, in addition to the unlocking of the coupler. With this invention, once the rod has become disconnected from the coupler, it will hang from bracket 10 and neither the rod nor the bracket will be damaged. Obvious damage occurs to rotor shaft 16 due to the fracture or break in eye-portion 20, as described. This damage, as aforementioned, is deliberately intended in order to require the substitution of a new rotor shaft and to preclude the possibility of returning a deformed rotor shaft to service.

While wall section 30 has been described as weakened, it is to be understood that the intended fracturing thereof will occur only when the hook 14 assumes the designated position and unusual forces, such as those exerted during coupler pull-out, are applied thereto. Weakened wall section 30 is of suificient strength to withstand any strains or forces to which it may be subjected in normal service operation.

When the rotor shaft of this invention is adapted for use on couplers equipped for double operation, swinging of the coupler, as shown in FIG. 2, will not occur, due to equal and compensating forces exerted by the uncoupling rods on both sides of the coupler. Both rods will, however, align themselves properly relative to the respective weakened wall section so that their hook ends will break through and separate therefrom substantially as described above in single operation. Also, during actuation of the rotor shaft when adapted for double operation, the eyeportion of the shaft on the side of the coupler opposite from the operating rod being manually actuated will rotate at least 35 degrees before any movement is imparted to the operating rod connected thereto. Thus, the coupler lock may be raised to lock-set position without disturbing the unactuated operating rod. This result is obtained primarily through the described disposition of rear wall 24 relative to the shank 18 of the rotor shaft to provide the necessary clearance for the hooked end of the unactuated rod, as will be well understood by those skilled in the art.

The novel rotor shaft of this invention is readily interchangeable with the existing rotor shaft of the type F coupler and does not require any structural changes to be made in the coupler head or to the operating rod. It will be apparent that eye-portion 20 of the rotor shaft, as described herein, may be incorporated in various types of rotor shafts now in use on car couplers.

The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation and there is no intention of excluding such equivalents of the invention described or of the portions thereof as fall within the purview of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a car coupler operating mechanism, a rotor shaft member rotatably mounted on the underside of a car coupler, said member having a shank portion and an eye portion, and an uncoupling rod having a hook-shaped end operatively connected to said eye portion, said rod having a handle portion adapted for pivotal mounting on an associated railway vehicle, said eye portion comprising a rear wall and depending lug, said wall and lug being adapted for hearing engagement with said rod end upon actuation of the rod to effect rotation of said member, said eye portion having an end wall and a wall section joining said rear wall and said end wall, said section being of reduced cross-sectional area compared to the adjacent walls and being of a length in excess of the diameter of the rod, said section being so disposed in relation to said rod as to be engaged and fractured by said rod end in the event of a coupler pull-out to permit separation of said rod end from said eye portion.

2. In a car coupler operating mechanism, a rotor shaft member operatively connected between the unlocking mechanism of the coupler and an uncoupling rod, said uncoupling rod having a hook-shaped end connected to said member and the other end of said rod having a handle portion adapted for pivotal mounting on an associated railway vehicle, said member comprising a shank portion and an eye portion embraced by said hook-end of the rod, said eye portion being defined by a plurality of integral walls, a rearward one of said walls being adapted for engagement with said hook-end and having a top surface disposed below the top surface of said shank portion, and another of said walls being of a length in excess of the diameter of said rod and reduced in cross sectional area, said wall being embraced by said hook-end during accidental pull-out of the coupler to permit said rod to break said wall and separate from said member.

3. A rotor shaft member for a car coupler comprising a shank portion and an eye portion, said eye portion being defined by front and rear walls, inner and outer end walls, and a wall of reduced thickness connecting between said rear and outer end walls, said walls being integral and forming an eye opening for receiving an end of an associated operating rod therein in connecting relationship.

4. A rotor shaft member as defined in claim 3, wherein another of said walls adjacent said shank portion is formed with its top surface below the top surface of the shank portion, said last-named wall being disposed on the rearward side of said. eye portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent IJNITED- STATES PATENTS 5 819,314 Renshaw. May 1, 1906 1,315,969 .Kienzle Sept. 16,11919 1,630,481 Fitzpatrick May 31, 1927 "1,744,536 Faverty 12111.21, 1930 10 8 Kinne "Feb. 12, 1935 Cline June 8, 1937 Cline Aug. 29, 1939 Corey May 12, 1942 Skibsted Nov. 2, 1948 Holmes Apr.-26, 1949 Wolfe Feb. 12, 1952 Metzger Nov. 6, 1956 Kozak Aug. 16,1960 

1. IN A CAR COUPLER OPERATING MECHANISM, A ROTOR SHAFT MEMBER ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON THE UNDERSIDE OF A CAR COUPLER, SAID MEMBER HAVING A SHANK PORTION AND AN EYE PORTION, AND AN UNCOUPLING ROD HAVING A HOOK-SHAPED END OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID EYE PORTION, SAID ROD HAVING A HANDLE PORTION ADAPTED FOR PIVOTAL MOUNTING ON AN ASSOCIATED RAILWAY VEHICLE, SAID EYE PORTION COMPRISING A REAR WALL AND DEPENDING LUG, SAID WALL AND LUG BEING ADAPTED FOR BEARING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ROD END UPON ACTUATION OF THE ROD TO EFFECT ROTATION OF SAID MEMBER, SAID EYE PORTION HAVING AN END WALL, SAID SECTION BEING OF REDUCED CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA COMPARED TO THE ADJACENT WALLS AND BEING OF A LENGTH IN EXCESS OF THE DIAMETER OF THE ROD, SAID SECTION BEING SO DISPOSED IN RELATION TO SAID ROD AS TO BE ENGAGED AND FRACTURED BY SAID ROD END IN THE EVENT OF A COUPLER PULL-OUT TO PERMIT SEPARATION OF SAID ROD END FROM SAID EYE PORTION. 